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Our Evolving Vision Statement

The following vision statement was developed by a group of people interested in examining what it would take for Gabriola to be a sustainable community. None of us are experts in sustainability: we are just a group of people hoping to create a community dialogue that will inspire discussion and action.

At the October 24th community meeting, we received some feedback on the vision which has caused us to ask a few more questions and to make some changes. While the vision is essentially the same – a healthy, sustainable community for all, now and in the future – we recognize that the values, principles and key elements of that vision will need to be constantly scrutinized and revisited. So the vision will be a passionate work in progress that makes us all deeply examine what we mean by sustainability.

To this end, we invite your thoughts on our vision statement. Some of the questions that you posed and that came to mind for us as we were developing the statement for which we don’t have answers were:

  • Are we only talking about sustainability for Gabriola? Even though we are physically an island, can we afford to act as an island cut off from the larger regional, provincial, national and global sustainability issues? We recognize we must start locally but is that ultimately enough?
  • In a time of increasing cynicism about the political process and systems of governance, should we also be talking about political and governance sustainability? Is it time to talk about reinvigorating democratic processes and strengthening civil society?
  • What do we mean by ‘economic prosperity’? Is the word prosperity tainted? At its most basic level the word prosper means ‘to thrive’, certainly something most of us would support. But it also means ‘to achieve financial success’. Many would argue that financial success as it is currently achieved comes at a very high cost and that cost is not sustainable.
    • Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom includes in her study of ‘design principles’ for sustainable community management of resources the principles that locally-made decisions should not be subject to being countermanded by distant authorities. This seems to abrogate any role or responsibility for other orders of government such as provincial and federal governments. It assumes that local communities will make sound decisions in the interests of current and future generations, and yet we have seen countless instances of communities making decisions that were short-sighted and detrimental to their long term well being.

We invite you to visit our blog and share your thoughts on these questions.

Five Principles that Guide Our Vision for a Sustainable Gabriola:

  • A recognition of the interdependence of life in all its forms and that the decisions we make today will have a profound effect on future generations.
  • A recognition that resources are finite and that living within our resources means there are limits to growth.
  • A commitment to weigh the costs and benefits of decisions fully, including the long-term costs and benefits to future generations.
  • The belief that sustainability requires the exercise of individual rights and responsibilities in the context of the greater community good.
  • Notwithstanding that Gabriola is part of the larger world community, we believe that Gabriolans are entitled to have democratic control over decisions that impact their community.

Our vision statement:

As Gabriolans, we are committed to stewarding our natural resources for the benefit of generations to come. It is our vision that future generations will have access to renewable and non renewable resources that will support diverse, healthy ecosystems, individuals and communities, affording economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice to all.

We envision a future in which generations to come have access to clean air and water, healthy, abundant, affordable sources of food; safe, affordable shelter; safe and caring communities; opportunities for dialogue and discussion; and equitable opportunities to participate in the economic, social, cultural and spiritual life of the of a vibrant, diverse, healthy ecosystem and human community.